Repurposed – Dianne Standen

My design thoughts about this piece centred on wool fibre as repurposed. Its original function of insulating the sheep through the colder months progresses through shearing, cleaning and preparation to many more potential uses. This consideration is very much in tune with my textile practise over the last thirty years…Reusing, recycling, repurposing …I wanted this submission to reflect all those aspects.
Within the final piece I wanted to represent the many stages of wool production and the techniques that can transform fibre. So having used the pure fleece as a “frame” showcasing the colours and textures of the Teeswater /woodland fleece used I then created a central area which reflects the landscape of rock, moss and grass that sheep inhabit.
The materials I have used are a variety of fleeces including Teeswater cross, Jacob’s, Gotland and Blue faced Leicester. Sadly Herdwick has too short a staple. For the felting I used Bluefaced Leicester and Merino wool. Most have retained their natural colours, but I have used a little that has been coloured with natural and commercial dyes.
The circular frame was found in a scrap store. Additional materials used other than wool were a small amount of plastic garden netting and some recycled muslin fabric.